I loved this post, its vulnerability and reflexions. I will stick to my shades of black / blues / khaki but you made me remember how in love I was with my pair of pointy, bowed, red suede flats as a kid (they bled on socks, but I didn’t care).
I’m stoked to see your color evolution! I’ve always worn color in my wardrobe, I guess I have signature colors because they’ve always made me happy. I love black, too, it flatters my skin tone and brings out whatever color I’m wearing, even if it’s just lipstick. As I’ve hit my 40s, I wear a similar color palette to my 20s and 30s, though now I vibe more with deep, rich colors like plum, fucsia, and teal, though I still have an array of brights like turquoise, papaya/melon shades, and always a raspberry pink represented. But I don’t mind being noticed and I have a deep relationship to color in general, probably in a synesthesia type way. I like how I can harmonize the color of my outfit to my mood/vibe that day. That said, I am VERY picky about color saturations and prints because it affects my embodied mood so much. If I don’t feel like the color I’m wearing is harmonious/balanced (I think I hear and taste color?? I don’t even know how to explain this phenomena), then it will disregulate me into dysmorphia until I get it off my body. I feel this way about anything, even my son’s birthday cake, which they rendered inedible to me by using a camo green for his Jurassic Park scene. Anyway, blah, blah, keep experimenting with and feeling what colors feel good in your whole body and you can’t go wrong!
I've always worn colors that went with my classic winter coloring: reds, purples, cobalt blue, and black. Now that my hair is silver, I've switched to pale dusty blues, lavenders, grays, pinks. I've dropped the black which used to look so dramatic but now washes me out. I like the way I look in these paler colors, and they go well with my hair. No complicated prints, just solids and stripes. Although I did buy something different recently which I love. My daughter suggested that I'd look great in it, but I would have never bought it on my own. I have to admit I also wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't on sale!
It has and I enjoy looking at it even when I'm not wearing it. My daughter liked it so much that I bought her one too even though her clothes are mostly neutrals, jeans, and very little pattern. Stripes are ok though.
(those of you who know me already know my answer...)
All the color please all the time! Pink is a neutral. Teal is a necessity. Red is a basic. Deep espresso is acceptable, beige does not exist. Bring me flower prints please, and pops of yellow and turquoise and olive and magenta.
I have worn to shabby decrepitude green clogs, pink flats, green flats, turquoise sandals, red mary janes, yellow suede clogs, and shoes of many other colors. Purple suede heels were saved from this fate only because I don't wear heels very often.
Seasonability is also very important to me. I hate wearing harvest gold or olive in spring; I feel cold if I wear light colors in winter; I dislike wearing burgundy or forest green or black in summer heat.
Recently though I have found myself dreaming about a less vivid selection. I do not think I will ever lose my love of color, I simply can't help myself. But I also adore the texture and feel of natural flax, and I've been dreaming of some big billowy blouses in that neutral natural color. Who knows! I may go through a phase that is mostly neutrals with one color accent, rather than my current all colors everywhere approach.
Reading this essay I opened my spring/summer closet to see what jumped out. Remember, I was the neutrals queen. Now there are many shades of red to pink, wintergreen to olive, denim to sky blue, mustard to yellow, with a bit of fusia and orange. Deep orange most recently. A Banana Republic maxi skirt. I was testing the waters. Fell in love.
It's been fun seeing your dance with color. Love your Pinterest board and the posts of what you've bought, kept, and worn recently. May I also note, you seem happier.
I love color - but carefully chosen color and not all colors. I like to bring different energies and intention to my day through wearing specific colors. The times in my life when I’ve dressed with the least color map pretty neatly onto the times when I struggled the most with my mental health and did not want to be perceived. Plus I had to wear a uniform for a few years in middle school (white on top, navy on bottom) and decades later I still chafe against true white, navy blue, polo shirts, and super-limited palettes.
I've found I tend to wear neutrals and solids (mostly dark blue, black, grey) in winter, while my summer wardrobe is filled with color and prints. I find this utterly fascinating. I do have bold red hair, and I think of this as the bold color that's a part of every outfit.
I have been experimenting with adding more color through my accessories (phone case, purse, waterbottle, etc) and artwork for year-round color infusions in touch points I experience daily.
I'm such a pale midwestern girl and white washes me out so I rarely wear white, but I completely understand that impulse. I have a pair of Adidas sneakers in mustard yellow I'm currently obsessed with, which is big growth since I was raised to by a few pairs of shoes in black or brown to "go with everything." I'm learning that bold colors can go with (almost) anything too! I'm in a creative industry, why was I playing it safe??
As a lifelong color-lover — who only squelches to conform when trying to be a NYC Cool Girl or when my social anxiety is high — I am so here for this!!! Deeply relatable in the best ways and I’ve loved watching your evolution on this.
Hi Dacy! New subscriber here. Love the cut and color of the jeans you wore to jury duty. Mind sharing where they’re from? You probably did already but I’m not seeing it…thx!
I relate so much to this. I moved to NYC right after college and immediately started wearing all black. Hilariously, I also bought a pair of green suede loafers that I didn’t wear. I’ve loved following your journey with color, and it’s inspired me a lot. I took your tip on adding a red shoe and got the pink and red Boden faux Birks. Thanks for all you do!
I feel this so much. I'm recovering from a neutrals-only closet. I took my red Marne top to the dry cleaners for laundry service yesterday. I love how bright it is, and yet I hardly ever wear it because it draws so much attention. I also tend to set it aside because the pleats are so fussy and require more work. It didn't even occur to me until yesterday that I can outsource that part. I'm looking forward to finding more opportunities to show off a really cute bright red and pink plaid sleeveless swing top and to finding more pieces that add a bright happy note when everything else seems so blah.
I loved this post, its vulnerability and reflexions. I will stick to my shades of black / blues / khaki but you made me remember how in love I was with my pair of pointy, bowed, red suede flats as a kid (they bled on socks, but I didn’t care).
I’m stoked to see your color evolution! I’ve always worn color in my wardrobe, I guess I have signature colors because they’ve always made me happy. I love black, too, it flatters my skin tone and brings out whatever color I’m wearing, even if it’s just lipstick. As I’ve hit my 40s, I wear a similar color palette to my 20s and 30s, though now I vibe more with deep, rich colors like plum, fucsia, and teal, though I still have an array of brights like turquoise, papaya/melon shades, and always a raspberry pink represented. But I don’t mind being noticed and I have a deep relationship to color in general, probably in a synesthesia type way. I like how I can harmonize the color of my outfit to my mood/vibe that day. That said, I am VERY picky about color saturations and prints because it affects my embodied mood so much. If I don’t feel like the color I’m wearing is harmonious/balanced (I think I hear and taste color?? I don’t even know how to explain this phenomena), then it will disregulate me into dysmorphia until I get it off my body. I feel this way about anything, even my son’s birthday cake, which they rendered inedible to me by using a camo green for his Jurassic Park scene. Anyway, blah, blah, keep experimenting with and feeling what colors feel good in your whole body and you can’t go wrong!
I loved reading this! Vulnerably written.
I've always worn colors that went with my classic winter coloring: reds, purples, cobalt blue, and black. Now that my hair is silver, I've switched to pale dusty blues, lavenders, grays, pinks. I've dropped the black which used to look so dramatic but now washes me out. I like the way I look in these paler colors, and they go well with my hair. No complicated prints, just solids and stripes. Although I did buy something different recently which I love. My daughter suggested that I'd look great in it, but I would have never bought it on my own. I have to admit I also wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't on sale!
https://novaandchic.com/collections/bestsellers/products/susan-dress
beautiful! has it arrived yet?
It has and I enjoy looking at it even when I'm not wearing it. My daughter liked it so much that I bought her one too even though her clothes are mostly neutrals, jeans, and very little pattern. Stripes are ok though.
(those of you who know me already know my answer...)
All the color please all the time! Pink is a neutral. Teal is a necessity. Red is a basic. Deep espresso is acceptable, beige does not exist. Bring me flower prints please, and pops of yellow and turquoise and olive and magenta.
I have worn to shabby decrepitude green clogs, pink flats, green flats, turquoise sandals, red mary janes, yellow suede clogs, and shoes of many other colors. Purple suede heels were saved from this fate only because I don't wear heels very often.
Seasonability is also very important to me. I hate wearing harvest gold or olive in spring; I feel cold if I wear light colors in winter; I dislike wearing burgundy or forest green or black in summer heat.
Recently though I have found myself dreaming about a less vivid selection. I do not think I will ever lose my love of color, I simply can't help myself. But I also adore the texture and feel of natural flax, and I've been dreaming of some big billowy blouses in that neutral natural color. Who knows! I may go through a phase that is mostly neutrals with one color accent, rather than my current all colors everywhere approach.
So fun! We all evolve!
I wore all black Saturday in mourning.
Reading this essay I opened my spring/summer closet to see what jumped out. Remember, I was the neutrals queen. Now there are many shades of red to pink, wintergreen to olive, denim to sky blue, mustard to yellow, with a bit of fusia and orange. Deep orange most recently. A Banana Republic maxi skirt. I was testing the waters. Fell in love.
It's been fun seeing your dance with color. Love your Pinterest board and the posts of what you've bought, kept, and worn recently. May I also note, you seem happier.
I love that you're seeing that much color in your closet, we've been on this journey together, Anita!
I love color - but carefully chosen color and not all colors. I like to bring different energies and intention to my day through wearing specific colors. The times in my life when I’ve dressed with the least color map pretty neatly onto the times when I struggled the most with my mental health and did not want to be perceived. Plus I had to wear a uniform for a few years in middle school (white on top, navy on bottom) and decades later I still chafe against true white, navy blue, polo shirts, and super-limited palettes.
Yes, I'm SO picky about the specific colors too.
I've found I tend to wear neutrals and solids (mostly dark blue, black, grey) in winter, while my summer wardrobe is filled with color and prints. I find this utterly fascinating. I do have bold red hair, and I think of this as the bold color that's a part of every outfit.
I have been experimenting with adding more color through my accessories (phone case, purse, waterbottle, etc) and artwork for year-round color infusions in touch points I experience daily.
I love the ease of the pop of color in accessories. My colors used to shift from winter to summer too, but just from black to white 😂
I'm such a pale midwestern girl and white washes me out so I rarely wear white, but I completely understand that impulse. I have a pair of Adidas sneakers in mustard yellow I'm currently obsessed with, which is big growth since I was raised to by a few pairs of shoes in black or brown to "go with everything." I'm learning that bold colors can go with (almost) anything too! I'm in a creative industry, why was I playing it safe??
Not me currently eyeing a pair of green suede loafers! 👀
🤣 my feelings on them have evolved!
I really relate to the emotional bandwidth around being more visible. This has been a big one for me that I'm working through right now!
As a lifelong color-lover — who only squelches to conform when trying to be a NYC Cool Girl or when my social anxiety is high — I am so here for this!!! Deeply relatable in the best ways and I’ve loved watching your evolution on this.
full disclosure, the next time i'm in new york, i'll probably revert to all black 🤣
same reason I still keep some emotional support skinny jeans on hand!
Hi Dacy! New subscriber here. Love the cut and color of the jeans you wore to jury duty. Mind sharing where they’re from? You probably did already but I’m not seeing it…thx!
Hi and welcome! They're the Citizens of Humanity Ayla jean and I love them!
". . . I don't have to stay the same to stay true to who I am." Wow. Thank you for putting that into words for me.
I'm glad it resonated.
I relate so much to this. I moved to NYC right after college and immediately started wearing all black. Hilariously, I also bought a pair of green suede loafers that I didn’t wear. I’ve loved following your journey with color, and it’s inspired me a lot. I took your tip on adding a red shoe and got the pink and red Boden faux Birks. Thanks for all you do!
Red shoe club!
I feel this so much. I'm recovering from a neutrals-only closet. I took my red Marne top to the dry cleaners for laundry service yesterday. I love how bright it is, and yet I hardly ever wear it because it draws so much attention. I also tend to set it aside because the pleats are so fussy and require more work. It didn't even occur to me until yesterday that I can outsource that part. I'm looking forward to finding more opportunities to show off a really cute bright red and pink plaid sleeveless swing top and to finding more pieces that add a bright happy note when everything else seems so blah.
That sounds like such a fun piece and I'm sure it'll brighten up your day.
Love watching the evolution of your style! It's so fun to see you experimenting with color.
I am still on the black is queen, with a little splash of grey and denim thrown in for "a change of pace".
I love that for you 🖤